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Mayor leaning toward saying YES to SWA
Houston Mayor Thoughts on Hobby
Chron.com
Mayor: Hobby expansion good for Houston
It was not a formal recommendation to grant Southwest Airlines permission to expand its operations at Hobby Airportso it can start international flights, but after Wednesday’s Council meeting Mayor Annise Parker made perhaps her strongest statement to date in favor of the proposal.
Parker will not make a formal recommendation to Council until at least next month. First, there’s a May 8 hearing at which Southwest lays out why the city should grant it permission to build a Customs facility and five gates at Hobby and United Airlines argues why it would be a bad idea for Houston. The city is also scheduling meetings in Hobby’s District I and Bush Intercontinental’s District B to gather community input.
But Parker appeared to show her hand yesterday when asked about the battle over Hobby. She said:
I have looked at the legal issues. I have looked at the economic issues. I tend to discount economic studies as always being overly optimistic, but there’s no question in my mind that we have an obligation to allow Southwest to proceed at their expense to construct the new terminals and there’s no doubt in my mind that it will enhance competitiveness in the market and be good for the citizens of Houston.
The study to which she refers was commissioned by the Houston Airport System and concludes that expanding Hobby would create 10,000 jobs and inject $1.6 billion into the local economy annually. United disputes that and is wrapping up its own study.
Mayor’s spokeswoman Janice Evans confirmed that the statement was not an official endorsement of the Hobby plan.
“We are still moving forward with stakeholder meetings and gathering information. She will make her formal recommendation when we’ve gathered that information,” Evans told me this morning.
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Mayor: Hobby expansion good for Houston
It was not a formal recommendation to grant Southwest Airlines permission to expand its operations at Hobby Airportso it can start international flights, but after Wednesday’s Council meeting Mayor Annise Parker made perhaps her strongest statement to date in favor of the proposal.
Parker will not make a formal recommendation to Council until at least next month. First, there’s a May 8 hearing at which Southwest lays out why the city should grant it permission to build a Customs facility and five gates at Hobby and United Airlines argues why it would be a bad idea for Houston. The city is also scheduling meetings in Hobby’s District I and Bush Intercontinental’s District B to gather community input.
But Parker appeared to show her hand yesterday when asked about the battle over Hobby. She said:
I have looked at the legal issues. I have looked at the economic issues. I tend to discount economic studies as always being overly optimistic, but there’s no question in my mind that we have an obligation to allow Southwest to proceed at their expense to construct the new terminals and there’s no doubt in my mind that it will enhance competitiveness in the market and be good for the citizens of Houston.
The study to which she refers was commissioned by the Houston Airport System and concludes that expanding Hobby would create 10,000 jobs and inject $1.6 billion into the local economy annually. United disputes that and is wrapping up its own study.
Mayor’s spokeswoman Janice Evans confirmed that the statement was not an official endorsement of the Hobby plan.
“We are still moving forward with stakeholder meetings and gathering information. She will make her formal recommendation when we’ve gathered that information,” Evans told me this morning.
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Just kidding.
